Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus

A fun-sucker whose big ideas - as suggested by the title and horrifying run time of this one - are limited to the morbidly dramatic and lyrically mirthless. I didn't find a single line to grab on to. Occasionally the looming morbidity is effective - thuds reverberating in a tomb - but most of the time it feels like a 6-part documentary delivered entirley to camera by a single sad presenter. Docked a point for taking up so much of my life.

Nick Cave

An amazing double album. So nice to remind myself of it’s greatness. Nick’s voice is incredible and the range of tracks, lyrics and vocals are second to none. I’ve previously heard ‘My Beautiful World’ described as the most perfect track ever recorded. It’s hard to argue against that.

O Mamma! I was always a fan of Nick Cave, but I never bothered to listen to his full discography, which I'm starting to feel like a massive, massive mistake. Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus is an amazing double album. First song, "Get Ready For Love" caught my attention, but third one, "Hiding All Away" cemented its position as one of the best albums I have discovered on this website. This album has a certain great quality - it sounds like a band you have always known, but at the same time it feels extremely fresh, because for some reason I didn't listen to it before. Also, big thanks to The Bad Seeds, with Warren Ellis at the top. The more I listen to his music, the more I fall in love with it. And the quality of music on this double album is really amazing,every song feels like an adventure into unknown. But there is one thing that is unparalleled - Nick Cave's lyrics. "The Lyre of Orpheus" is now one of my favourite songs, his ability to create a story and make it almost immersive is extraordinary. I think I'm not allowed to make any more mistakes, one quiet evening I will listen to the whole discography of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. No more excuses, I need to witness more greatness!

Wow. The first time I've ever really connected with him. Tastefully loud, full of energy perfectly arranged, beautiful harmonies, very weird but very cool lyrics. It's all beginning to make sense.

I love music that feels raw and passionate. There's such a draw to stuff like Amy Winehouse's black album or Adele's 19 or even some Johnny Cash where you can feel the pain the artist brings from their real life into the song. I'm not going to find myself singing any of these songs while doing the dishes, but listening to songs 2-4 is an experience you can feel in your soul. Music like this demands that you turn it up, close your eyes, and imagine yourself in a dark living room clutching a rocks glass of bourbon on the last night of your life. It's perfect for solo listening through headphones at volumes that will permanently damage your hearing. And you should, you should feel permanently damaged by this passion behind dark and brooding music.

The Gospel according to Nick Cave.

Wow! Wasn't sure on first hearing, but by the third play I was hooked. Well worth investing some time into this. Almost avant-garde but still proper musicality. Brilliant.

I really like Nick but the last album of his I got was in the late 90s.  This is really quite good. He starts out by kicking you in the teeth - I'd be disappointed if he didn't. The shift from the Abattoir to the Orpheus disc is hard to miss as the string of ballads floats out. I prefer that he did this rather than mix the ballads amongst the charged up tunes. It's reminiscent of the many Buddha Bar double CD releases that labelled one CD "dinner" and the other "dance". You might be in the mood for Nick's ballads one night so you can choose the disc that gives this. And if you're in the mood for a kick in the teeth, Disc 1 is waiting. 

Interesting concept album. Fees evergreen style-wise; alt/classic rock feel, dark vocals. Hits hard but not too gritty.

Im currently convinced that Nick Cave can do no wrong. Im always amazed by his ability to create powerful moods with his music.

Sometimes we were really into this and thought it was great. Other times it wasn't quite hitting. Ended up somewhere in the middle.

Nick Cave departed a little from the Singer-Songwriter style he made in the years prior and returned to a little more Art and Alt Rock with a little more experimentation as well as some of his old Punk Blues. The album is incredibly diverse with inspirations and ideas some of which work great while others leave room for improvement. It features some of the best songs that Nick and his band every released as well as a song that became unforgettable by being a part of the seventh Harry Potter movie. The albums first part: Abattoir Blues opens with 'Get Ready for Love', a noisy and punky introduction with a lot of energy and anxious lyrics that make this not only a theatrical and epic opening but a loud one as well. Many people love this song just for that and I do too... the first half... The song is with 5 minutes not the shortest but the repetition of certain themes and sounds make this a little stagnant after a while which ultimately harms the whole enjoyment. It's still a pretty good song but they should've just cut it after the bridge. After the epic intro, 'Cannibal's Hymn' takes a more laid back but haunting direction. It's full of weird noises and lyrics that are both incoperated into a great arrangement and a simply perfect chorus. It's an incredible song that shows how Cave can write dark and haunting lyrics but package them in something more melancholic while keeping the ominous atmosphere that the text needs. I love this song but I wish he'd made the verses a little more musically interesting because they feel kind of left over or forgotten. It's a great song nonetheless even if it slightly missed the chance to be incredble or even perfect. 'Hiding All Away' is the definition of Post-Punk. The inclusions of some Noise Rock as well as the Gospel-like vocals really make this an anxious listen full of tension and great performances both musically and vocally. The lyrics are dark and have some "evil" sprinkled in the delivery. The chorus/bridge is a perfect release of the tension that was build and lets the song go on for so long without feeling boring. I love this song so much and I am certain that this is the first perfect song on the album. The first half of the first part closes with 'Messiah Ward', again, a more relaxed song with some nice influences and mainly great lyrics. The song doesn't start so interesting but the more it builds up the more interesting it gets and the moment the pre-chorus starts the song has a deserved place here. The songwriting is so great and the chorus is simply but effective. It's a great song but like with Track 2, this would've needed a little work on the verses, musically and vocally spoken. One of the album's biggest highlights, 'There She Goes, My Beautiful World', keeps the Gospel inspired vocals while being a fast and incredibly fun piano driven alt-rock song. The lyrics are such a good mix between funny and loving and the chorus is catchy and just f-ing relatable. The song is just one of the most energetic and passionate songs in Nick's whole discography and having this kind of quality is just amazing. Definitely a perfect song. The next song 'Nature Boy' is another really well and lovingly made song with a great flow especially in pre-chorus and chorus. The lyrics blend nostalgia, darkness and hope in a pretty motivational way and the verses with the piano are some of the best on the album. An equally as perfect song as its predecessor. The title track of the first half 'Abattoir Blues' seems to be pretty beloved by many but I never got the song. It feels weaker and pales in comparison to most of the album with the lyrics and especially the way they are presented. It's just a pretty average song with some Trip Hop influence on the drums. The "oh yeah" Gosepl parts are the only thing not making this completely boring. Luckily, 'Let the Bells Ring' is a slight step up by featuring one of the best choruses on the entire project. It's so raw while keeping a certain ominous and twisted feeling to it. Instrumentally, this is pretty standard but the way it builds the tension towards the chorus and then keeping it dense is just done in the best way possible. I really love this song even if some parts do feel a little bit too rough around the edges and that not in the best way. 'Abattoir Blues' closes with 'Fable of the Brown Ape', easily the worst song on the entire album. It is boring and when it isn't its annoying. Nothing redeeming or interesting or edgy or experimental about it. Just not good. And the "epic" and "grand" chorus doesn't work because it doesn't build up or anything catchy. It is just loud and annoying. Yeah, I might be a little too harsh on this one but to see Nick do something like this is simply disappointing. The second part: 'The Lyre of Orpheus' opens with its title track. 'The Lyre of Orpheus' is a dark and twisted new interpreted version of the Orpheus tale. This song is dark, ugly and full of bluesy Punk that makes this one of the most Nick Cave moments on the album as well as one of the best. This is a true masterpiece in every sense of the word and my personal favourite song on the album. It's just so damn good. Following one perfect song, Breathless comes on with a more Pop and Folk inspired sound but Nick and his band are still able to pull it off in the best way possible. The avant-garde flute at the start, the dreamy and nearly children music like sound of the song (watch the music video it literally is about some damn rabbit family) and Nick's lyrics are much less dark and actually pretty soft and cute and full of love. 'Babe, You Turn Me On' continues the incredible run of songs with even more Folk and actually a little Jazz-inspired drums. This style does fit Nick surprisingly well and once the chorus starts the whole thing starts fitting together even better. The lyrics are some of his best on the album especially when it comes to the chorus. It's not as good as the two before but it still is an incredible song. The rock returns with 'Easy Money'. It's another perfect song. The piano and the vocals fit the sound so well and the way it starts the chorus which is again perfect, is just incredible. It's sentimental and slow like a late night romantic dance but in the best way possible. I love pretty much everything about the song which makes it even crazier that this isn't even a Top 3 song on this part of the album. Wow! The second half of the second part starts with the fast paced 'Supernaturally' which not only has a great flow and chorus but also some pretty great vocal deliveries and lyrics that fit perfectly. I just think that it might be a little streched towards the end and the chorus and verses just don't work as much anymore but I still love this song a lot even if it's not perfect. "Hey-Ho, oh no no no!" What a great and funny line. 'Spell' on the other hand is pretty boring all throughout. It's not completely uninteresting but it is a significant drop in quality. The lyrics don't work as much, the Gospel chorus isn't as great as it maybe could've turned out and the overall structure of the song doesn't change and stays in the same basic way the whole song. It's an okay song but he could've scrapped it and no one would care. In comparison, 'Carry Me' is a great song because it is. It's nothing too crazy or incredible but it is a great song. It is does have stylistic smiliarities with the closing track and kind of builds towards that final epic with a lot of tension here but outside of this tension and the Gospel chorus, the song just can't hold what most of this part has on average. But it is pretty much on a level with some of the songs right at the start of the album. The album closes with 'O Children', a song featured in Harry Potter. But here it closes the album with the most emotional song here. The lyrics are tragic with many possible interpretations. It builds up over the span of five minutes until it releases into a sentimental and emotional height that releases emotions in me that I didn't even knew I had. What a perfect song to end an album with. The Lyre of Orpheus > Abattoir Blues favourites: The Lyre of Orpheus, O Children, There She Goes, My Beautiful World, Hiding All Away, Breathless, Nature Boy, Easy Money least favourites: Fable of the Brown Ape, Spell, Abattoir Blues Rating: strong 8 to light 9 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

Where did this come from? It's like a journey through shadows and light. The lyrics hit. The dual nature of the record blends raw intensity with gentle introspection and it stands out. It reminds me of Leonard Cohen’s moody storytelling and Tom Waits’ raw energy. This really grew on me and stays with you.

harry potter song

Such a great album. My favorite of his musically. Of course Cave's lyrical magic is here as usual and this time the music is just as magical. The songs are accessible with loads of hooks and some of his most memorable melodies. This is the album that could make a fan of a no -fan. 5 🌟

ебааать, как охуенно... Это всё, чем Коэн должен был стать, обзаведясь полноценной электро-группой. Пока что, думаю, самый охуенный альбом из подборки. Причём он вообще не должен быть таким на бумаге. Ну типа это ебаный рак музыки — двойной альбом, при этом звук у всех инструментов почти всегда одинаковый, вокал тоже не шибко разнообразный, женские бэки одни и те же во всех треках. Но бля, как же идеально нащупана формула (к 13 альбому-то), что можно слушать полтора часа один и тот же звук и не уставать. Помимо Коэна сравнил бы с уже упомянутыми разок Swans, но только абсолютно лисенер-френдли (что немного абсурд, но я так чувствую), есть вот эта арт-энергия, но без песен по полчаса, балдеж же. Также, судя по всему, пластинка идёт в копилку альбомов, которые просто охуенно слушать, бродя по ночному городу (наряду с, например, You'd Prefer an Astronaut от Hum и Le troisième choix от Agora Fidelio). Вообще у меня создалась такая концепция альбома, что он начинается как будто вечером, проходит через фазу ночи и примерно в начале второго диска перетекает в утро, но всё-таки последние песни (особенно божественные Easy Money и Supernaturally) немного сбивают впечатление. Хз даже, что ещё говорить, оче мощная работа (хотя, конечно, под настроение). Ник Кейв в принципе был одним из исполнителей, ради которого я пошёл на этот эксперимент с альбомами, так как ранее его работ не слышал (только Джанкъярд мельком), и это был отличный повод. Ну хули, сыграла ставочка. 10/10

9/10 Nick <3

Glorious, melodramatic, soaked in all kinds of gospel, from the euphoric to the hellfire & brimstone. Fave Track - "O Children", though I resent Harry Potter using it in the soundtrack 😠

This was really unexpected (and I found to be quite unique). Sort of reminds me of Xiu Xiu, but less despair. While it's not my favourite, I highly recommend giving it a listen, and for that alone, I'm rating it a 5.

Split into two parts, a greatly enjoyable collection of songs. Favorites are Get Ready for Love, Hiding All Away, Breathless, Babe, You Turn Me On, Easy Money, Supernatually, Carry Me & O Children.

Not his best but even his lesser stuff is better than most people's peaks.

Amazing lyrics. Great rock. Hard to pick just three tracks. An exceptional first half, but the second just slows the pace and the songs aren't quite as strong. Best Tracks: Get Ready For Love, Hiding All The Way, There She Goes My Beautiful World

I listened to Nick Cave once and thought he wasn't for me, but I really liked this album. I'm going to go back and listen to more. Some great moments, and his raw emotion really works for me here.

My sister loves Nick Cave. Please don't tell her I'm only giving this 3 stars.

Nick Cave’s music serves his words, which are well-assembled, but don’t stir me. The theatricality, the occasional archaism, and the storyteller mode might be too flat for me: I’m unconvinced, though I respect his conviction. The music’s fun, just lacking hook in their function as set-dressing. This may also be the reason that the only PJ Harvey albums I love are her first two, the rock band ones; there are strong similarities, though she has more tunes and a better voice. I prefer “Abbatoir Blues” of the two records, perhaps because I perceive more of the anarchy of James Johnston’s former band, Gallon Drunk.

3.5 Okay here’s the recipe for a Nick Cave song: Make it 5-6 minutes long Long verses with biblical and religious allusions Choruses with choirs in the background Towards the end the choir takes over and chants the chorus over and over Rinse, repeat Here’s the thing. It’s not a bad formula per se, but it’s definitely a formula. And it gets repetitive when it’s 90 minutes long. Again, not sure the need for a double album here, 45 mins would have sufficed and improved the rating. It’s not bad though! I can see why some people go wild for this dude. I would relisten to this and enjoy myself, but personally it’s not my fave thing. There’s a few bangers tho.

This is doing my nut in. I listened to a different Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds album earlier in this list and it was bad, not rip-your-ears bad but not something I enjoyed in any way. Then this album comes along, and although there were plenty of low points and tracks that weren't very good, I found myself enjoying it. I preferred Abattoir Blues to The Lyre of Orpheus.

There's definitely too much Nick Cave on this record. Includes 3-4 decent, even good songs ("There She Goes.." is up there with his best) but very little that's novel or musically-interesting enough to justify the other 13-14. Hard to shake the impression of someone sniffing their own farts in places

Sucks. I don't like to use the word "pretentious" when describing art, I think it's a cop-out word that people use when the artist's intention is beyond their comprehension and sensibilities. Dictionary definition is "attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed," so I'm absolutely applying it here because this album is just full of grandiose ideas and goals and an affectation of intelligence that, given the bored, flat delivery, feels so incredibly phony. We've had at least one other Nick Cave album, and I generally like the guy, but he sounds really bad on here. Really morose, whiny, like he's in on some cosmic sorrow that we couldn't even imagine (good thing I'm not saying this stuff about Ghosteen, but then again, why would I? That album is good). From the two-part backslash title, to the vague mythology references amid tracks like--sorry, let me make sure I get this right--"Babe, You Turn Me On." Absolutely no thank you, I am not the audience for this. I'm as averse to this as I am to mustard, too bitter and too adjacent to poison for my palate. Favorite tracks: Let the Bells Ring. Album art: Cool flower picture, thick border, decent font. Formulaic, but not terrible. 1/5

NOW WE'RE COOKING BABY

The best!!!!!!!

I never got into Nick Cave for whatever reason, even though he's supposedly adjacent to a lot of musicians I do like. Maybe my head wasn't in the right place. Maybe I thought it was a bit overwrought, directly sighted at Theater Kids and Former Theater Kids. Anyway, this album's pretty good! A little long, but I can respect the craft, and you know what, I'm gonna listen to it more than a couple of times. Maybe it even makes it into The Rotation. Good to put on and zone out and good to listen in. No skips! Tunes that get stuck in your head! Somber, erudite songwriting that isn't the southern gothic character exploration that turned me off the first time! Maybe I am a Nick Cave fan, I'll have to revisit some other stuff. This album hits.

4.5 First time listening to a Nick Cave album! Surprisingly good a for a double album I'd never heard before, I'm pretty sure a couple more listens will turn it into a solid 5⭐

This album is amazing. Much more upbeat than traditional Nick Cave fare. I really like the addition of a choir on certain songs. This is hands down one of Nick Cave's best. Favourite songs: The Lyre of Orpheus, Get Ready for Love, Nature Boy, "There She Goes, My Beautiful World", Hiding All Away, Easy Money, Breathless, "Babe, You Turn Me On", Let The Bells Ring, Carry Me, O Children Least favourite songs: Fable of the Brown Ape 5/5

Superb

Well, this landed at the perfect time, as I saw Nick Cave live last week on the Wild Gods tour, and I'm still floating. After being a bit "challenged" by the Birthday Party as a teenager, I didn't explore much of the Bad Seeds until quite recently. An absolute treasure-trove, which I hope to explore for years to come. I'm guessing this one counts as a relatively upbeat album; I already knew Nature Boy, and was surprised quite a lot is in a similar vein. Anyway, I thought it was brilliant, bar a few challenging moments. Humour, darkness, melody, and he's just cool as, isn't he? I love him, and I loved this.

Love the music - one of there best albums

I'm a little biased since I saw him live a couple weeks ago and he was amazing, but this is incredibly strong for being later in his career. I hope people didn't switch off towards the end and missed the brilliant closer that is 'O Children'.

Excellent album

A personal favourite of mine

Words cannot express how much I adored this album.

I’ve been having some bad days lately but this was much needed. Life can be terrifying and miserable, but it’s so much cooler than being dead. ‘There She Goes’ is the standout from the first half. ‘Breathless’ was good on the second part.

<Gordon Ramsay voice> Finally, some good fucking music. Nick Cave is cool as hell, and regrettably I only know random songs here and there, so listening to this full album was a treat. I love music that has this kind of energy to it. Moody but assertive. I found this a very captivating record both musically and lyrically. The songs felt distinct, exploring different genres and tempos and themes, yet it made sense that they were grouped together into an album. Again, I just love stuff like this. I already knew (and love) "There She Goes, My Beautiful World," but man that song ripsssss. Other favorites: Get Ready for Love, Nature Boy, Abattoir Blues, The Lyre of Orpheus, and Breathless.

Great album from a great artist

Yes

As with all Nick Cave I was a late adopter but this is a towering album with some magnificent songs.

Abattoir Blues: This shit bangs, I did not expect to be drawing this many Strokes and David Byrne parallels. Lyre of Orpheus: Okay, this is more what I expected from Nick Cave, but in a David-Byrne-doing-Night-Vale-weather way? So hey, turns out this shit also bangs.

Never even heard of them before and I really enjoyed this one!!

I loved this album and didn’t feel like it was nearly as long as it was. I love the vibes. Easy five star for me.

hardly need to listen to this one ... but I did anyway. It's one of Nick's finest albums, and chock full of excellence. Nature Boy might be my favourite NC track ever, but both the up-beat and down-beat tracks are well worth a listen. Five Stars every day of the week.

This my third Nick Cave record on this list and I didn't really like the other two. So I wasnt expecting much. But this is fantastic. Nick's voice is brilliant and clear, I really love it.

Probably a 4. It runs a bit long. It's Nick Cave so it gets that 5 star treatment.

an old friend...been years since i revisited the nick cave discog so i cant fully place this in its proper context outside of my memories, but esp listening chronologically its hard to forget the bolt of energy and color this is. nick cave strikes me at least in part as an alternate history where bob dylan rose out of literary tradition instead of folk tradition, and with a consistently greater interest in arrangement...or at least a consistent band that has such, the bad seeds kick all kinds of ass on here, draining so much energy out of u thru the course of disc 1 that disc 2 hits even harder as a big pool of balm. would love to do a big nick cave revisit at some point, and this may remain my favorite album of his...full of surreal emotive beauty, and the perfect meeting point between spiritualism and Flesh And Blood. lowkey a record about Dance in that way...or at least physical ritual of some kind!!! comfy cult vibes off the charts

Fantastic album. I really love it.

El portento compositivo de Nick Cave unido a la habilidad musical de los Bad Seeds conforman una de las bandas más potentes y eclécticas del rock de todos los tiempos. Este doble álbum es una prueba irrefutable y uno de los mejores trabajos del grupo, aun cuando acababa de perder a uno de sus miembros fundadores, Blixa Bargeld. El primer disco, Abbatoir Blues, está dominado por el rock & roll con la temperamental guitarra de Mick Harvey sacudiendo el ambiente desde el principio con el temazo "Get Ready for Love" donde Cave utiliza el ritmo de gospel evangélico para socavar el sentimiento religioso y deificar el amor. Sus letras permanentemente reflexionan sobre ese Dios pintado en los cielos del que se burla al tiempo que clama por resolver el misterio de su naturaleza. Me gusta mucho "Cannibal's Hymn" y sus metáforas alrededor del amor y el sexo. También "Nature Boy" y sus toques autobiográficos en los que vuelve a hablarnos del amor y, tal como le dijo su padre, lo único que salvará al mundo: la belleza. Fue extraído como sencillo por su tono más pop. Y qué decir de los temas "vaqueros", "There She Goes, My Beautiful World" y la conquista del Oeste o el emotivo homenaje a Johnny Cash de "Let Them Bells Ring". El segundo disco vira el tono y el estilo hacia una música más reposada y elegante. Y eso que el primer tema, "The Lyre of Orpheus", utiliza el mito helénico con un sarcasmo "sangrante". Me gustan por encima de las demás "Babe You Turn Me On" en la que a ritmo de vals y música country Cave entona una obscena canción de amor, "Supernaturally", extrañamente bailable declaración de amor a un ser superior, y "Carry Me", con el muro sonoro levantado con las cuerdas de Ellis cubriendo la conmovedora reflexión poética sobre la existencia y Dios. También el cierre del disco, "O Children", en la que en forma de balada nos habla de la pérdida de la inocencia.

I’ve loved Nick Cave forever, but I’ve honestly never really sat down and listen to one of his albums. I’ve been to a couple of his shows, which which blew my mind. Listening to this, I was just overwhelmed with emotion and feelings that I felt in those shows that I’ve been to. THis album definitely will be in the heavy rotation over the next few months.

Epic

...cannonballs

I kept being told to listen to Nick Cave! I see why! I mega-enjoyed this and will be back to hear more!

Magnum opus. Massive and perfect. How has this been off my radar?

Really enjoyed it for a first time listen

5 - Thinking of the fact that Nick Cave came out of the depravity of Birthday Party really adds a lot of context to how I've come to listen to him. This album just had so much in it and I was sad when it was over. I think this is gonna cause a deep dive into all his music, just an amazing timeless album.

Another wonderful album by Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, a double-album in this case, and certainly the one of their best full-length releases during the noughts (with 2001's *No More Shall We Part*). Following the huge letdown that *Nocturama* had been, this one was a huge relief for Cave's fans. Recorded after the departure of long-time member Blixa Bargeld, *Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus* is also the project that saw The Dirty Three's Warren Ellis take over as Nick's main creative accomplice. Already an official member of The Bad Seeds for a few years at this point, Ellis probably had an large influence on a few compositions, whether they were officially co-written with him or not, and he surely helped Cave reach another step of his extraordinary musical journey, which started here, with this exact album. Gospel-like background vocals, guitars that sound "electric" in every sense of the word, and possessed imprecations from the dark crooner with a booming voice that Cave is abound in this record. As noted by other reviewers, *Abattoir Blues* is (generally speaking) rockier and livelier than its companion piece *The Lyre Of Orpheus*, mostly comprising moodier and slower cuts. Standout tracks include the martial and delirious "Hiding All Away" and the catchy midtempo pop-rock songs "There She Goes, My Beautiful World" and "Nature Boy". There's also the laid-back groove of "Abattoir Blues"--already very much in the vein of later masterpiece *Push The Sky Away*--, the Dr. John-like "The Lyre Of Orpheus"--a brooding, swampy cut where Greek myths sound haunted by the ghosts of bluesmen from the Mississippi delta--, the flute-laden, mostly acoustic, generous and optimistic-sounding "Breathless"--whose sweet, memorable chorus will surely bring a smile to the face of many listeners--, the mysterious and subtle "Easy Money" and "Spell", or the twirling and agitated "Supernaturally"--also graced by an exciting chorus going "Hey! Ho!" like the best grassroots folk-rock bangers of days yonder (not to mention that intoxicating fiddle!), here proving that the second disc has its share of lively moments as well. To conclude on this list of highlights, one needs to mention the wealth of epic, heartrending, elegiac ballads on this one--ballads such as "Let The Bell Rings", "Carry Me" and iconic closer "O Children", where the Bad Seeds excel at creating sweeping soundscapes carrying Cave to new heights. Reading back on what I've just written, I realize I must have mentioned close to the two thirds of the tracklist, which was not my intention at first. Yet I could have mentioned even *more* songs, that's how good this album is! If really I had to find a "dud" in it, I might say that "Baby, You Turn Me On" in the second tracklist sounds a bit indistinct and mundane. But does it really matter with so many gems before and after it? My only (initial) major gripe when I first listened to this project was that I thought the rock number serving as the opener of its first disc, "Get Ready For Love", sounded a bit heavy-handed in such a prominent position. But oddly enough, I don't think any other track could have taken its place, as great as they are (most of them take their sweet time to "build up" their assets, so to speak, which is not so ideal to get things started). So now I'm fine with the way the record begins, I guess. This is just to say: please don't judge the album on the merits of that first song alone. Nick Cave is of course a hell of a performer and lyrics writer, his scope has rarely been broader than the one in this record, and consequently, this here easily reaches the level of his "classics" from the eighties and nineties. So it would be sad if you missed all of it just because of one song. This review was written in mid-August 2024, and at the end of the month Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds will release their new album *Wild God*, the follow-up to Cave's far more subdued and darkly meditative trilogy" *Push The Sky Away*, *Skeleton Tree* and *Ghosteen*, (some of whom should definitely be selected for a list such as this one). The singles from *Wild God* released up to now suggest that Cave will here return to the livelier and soulful rock vein of *Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus*, after spending two studio albums (and other side-projects, live or not) mourning the tragic loss of his son through his art. Not sure he will be able to pull off a *rock* album as good as the one I had to review today--a throwback that sure will sound difficult to accomplish after spending so many years exploring that very different, emotionally intense turf. But Cave's been a creative force to reckon with for decades now, so everything is possible... 4.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 5. 9.5/10 for more general purposes (5+4.5) Number of albums left to review: 101 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 388 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 226 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 285

Magnifico álbum de Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. Mis favoritas: Hiding All Away, There She Goes, My Beautiful World, Nature Boy, The Lyre of Orpheus, Easy Money, Supernaturally y O Children.

El Nicolás Cueva y las Semillas Malas rifan

My first introduction to Nick Cave! I've wanted to get into his stuff for a while now, and boy have I been missing out. I've listened 3 times now, I'm just in awe. On my first listen, I preferred the more mellow The Lyre of Orpheus side, but the second time I enjoyed the Abattoir Blues side more. The gospel choir is incredible. On the third listen, I really took the time to read through the lyrics. There She Goes, My Beautiful World is such a beautiful song about the creative process. Let the Bells Ring is a lovely tribute to Johnny Cash. And Nature Boy is so romantic. Ahh, I can't even choose a favorite, they're all so good. My favorite artists are usually songwriters - lyrics really take an album from good to great for me - so I was expecting I'd like Nick Cave, but I wasn't prepared to be so moved. I can't wait to dive into more of Nick / The Bad Seeds.

Nick Cave is always full-on in a way that doesn't always resonate with me, but this double album is one hell of an achievement. Definitely will listen again.

I've heard of this artist for years and glad that this project got me to finally listen to him. I can get a Neil Diamond vibe on some songs. Other songs remind me more of Tom Waits or Talking Heads. He's all over the place but it's always his unique sound. I don't know that any of the songs are super catchy but they all pull me in with their melodies and unique sound. Makes me want to listen to it again. Dig it!

It took me until disc 2 to realize he totally reminds me of Neil Diamond, not only in singing style/voice, but Neil also has some super weird songs mixed with more classic Neil jams. It’s almost like a variety show with the range of different tracks. Really enjoyed the backup vocals when they’re present. This grew on me a lot. Kinda love it.

This is the album that got me into Nick Cave. It is a perfect album in my opinion. I think I got it because of it's use of "O Children" in Harry Potter but it has so much more going for it. "There She Goes, My Beautiful World" is this gospel epic. "Hiding All Away" is the grimey, tom waits esque rock banger. "Carry Me" is soul lifting. It may be the ultimate experimental gospel rock epic with such a charismatic frontman and distinctive voice.

Importante para reforçar que é preciso ampliar as audições do Nick, e assim conhecer músicas mais abrasivas e barulhentas. Fora que finaliza com o esplendor de O Children.

This one surprised me. The only Nick Cave I have heard previously was Ghosteen which I had generated near the beginning of the challenge. I expected this to be similarly somber. Boy was I wrong. The whole first disc absolutely slaps you in the face with its layered vocals and dense instrumentals. The Lyre of Orpheus disc is more subdued, but builds with each consecutive song. I think I prefer the Abattoir Blues side, but adored all of this. He knows his vocal range and takes advantage of his limitations. This sounds both old and new.

I finally get the whole nick cave thing 4.7

Astounding - no other word for it

Cool vibe and great instrumentation but whether you will like this or not will 100% depend on how you like Nick Cave's vocal delivery. Very unique but very fitting of the music in my opinion I really like it.

Long time fav album from Nick. Still stands up. Get Ready For Love slaps H A R D.

Do not make a sound

Perfect. It's hard to go wrong with Nick Cave

This is exactly the kind of music I am hoping to be exposed to on this list. I had heard of Nick Cave before but never listened to him before or looked into his catalog. I gave this album several spins and enjoyed it thoroughly. I will be exploring the rest of his catalog and adding this album to my favorites.

Gad vide hvorfor jeg aldrig har fået dykket ned i det her album, når jeg har hørt så meget Nick Cave? Eller skal man sige disse to albums? For er det fair at bedømme det som et album, når det så tydeligt er to forskellige værker, samlet i en pakke? Abattior Blues er råfed blueset rock. Særligt i åbneren der svinger som bare fanden. The Lyre of Orpheus er oftere mere klassisk 90er Cave. Dystert, Cave messende som en Minister of Darkness. Eller hans hjerte gribende sange om kærlighed, relationer og eksistens.

One of my all timers

I love this era of Nick

Awesome album

it's a tiring and hot Monday and all I've heard of Nick Cave is Red Right Hand. I wasn't enthusiastic for a whole album of that (I like the song, but it takes the right mindset, long and creepy as it is). But this whole thing was wonderful, interesting songs back to back, and surprised me from the first note of Get Ready For Love. And I did - get ready, and fall in love. Slightly reminds me of something my dad might play in the car, in the best possible way. Vampire-y and joyfully so. I'm just genuinely suprised by how much I like this one Oh and the 'wow I know this one' moment came right at the end! A first for that I think

Nick Cave you bad boy

In the last ten years of music I've ingested, Nick Cave has been among the most consistently rewarding and interesting to listen to.

Amazing energy! Raise above is an awesome song.

It’s the Harry Potter song!

Another essential pending..., that has hunted me from minute 0! 😍😍😍

How did I miss this in 2004? Not my thing usually, but Nick Cave sounds and feels like a mix between Frank Zappa, Funk, and Lounge Singer. The most fun I have had listening to an unheard album in a long time.

4.6 If I drink 10 beers and listen to this I would rate it 6000 out of 5. Nothing like having a few and cranking Nick Cave. This album is probably the genesis of the Grinderman spin-off (which I think is awesome). Fingers crossed we get a few more NC&BS albums.

NICK! I hadn't heard this one. Love that full backing. Already loved Nick but this is is how I like my Nick now. 5!

Fantastic. Reminds me of the importance of listening to an album in order (instead of randomized or a track at at time).

I like Nick Cave. He can be dark, but he's had stuff to deal with. Even if he didn't have stuff, there's nothing wrong with looking at some of the dark stuff. He's all good for me and this might be one of my favored Nick Cave albums. Be sure to check out There She Goes My Beautiful World.

The dark themes continue in this Double-album presentation, but this is easily the most accessible of the Nick Cave albums I've listened to. Sublime music that ranges from very dark to uplifting, but the dark lyrics throughout can almost seem dissonant and have a greater impact. All the songs are literally good, but among the faves of each album: Abbatoir Blues: There She Goes, My Beautiful World Nature Boy Let the Bells Ring Lyre of Orpheus: Breathless Babe, You Turn Me On Carry Me O Children

I’ve only tangentially known about Nick Cave and now I need to listen to his whole discography. I loved this! Moody, poetic, and musically dense. Can’t wait to listen again. 5/5

Когда Ник Кейв и его группа выпустили альбом murder ballads их номинировали на премию MTV как лучших исполнителей года, но Ник тогда отказался от номинации сославшись на то что музыка его группы абсолютно уникальна так что ему априори не с кем конкурировать. Что ж.... Он был прав и этот альбом-тому доказательство. Эффект от прослушивания сродни самой выдающейся театральной постановке, впечатляет, захватывает,погружает и не отпускает от начала и до конца. Даже поставить что то вровень в роде как и можно но не выходит здесь всё звучит обособленно красиво и очень по особенному. Мощь)))

I’ve known that Nick Cave is someone I should probably listen to. One of my best friends is a huge fan, but this is the first time it’s actually clicked. The other stuff of his that I’ve listened to has been good, to be sure. But this is absolutely brilliant.

Super interesting and diverse. Adding to my listen-again list.